Martin Hopes Mbna 400 Pole Can Help Him Catch Gordon

Mark Martin, figuring the time has come for him to win at Dover (Del.) Downs International Speedway, took another step in that direction Friday by earning the pole for Sunday’s MBNA 400 in Dover.

But that won’t give the 38-year-old Martin much of an advantage Sunday in his pursuit of Winston Cup points leader Jeff Gordon. His Ford toured the Monster Mile just 39-thousandths of a second faster than Gordon.

“We’ve always run really good here,” Martin said. “We should have won a half-dozen times here.”

He trails Gordon by 139 points in the series standings with seven of 32 races remaining on the schedule.

Spokane’s Chad Little qualified 12th.

Winston Cup regular Dick Trickle won his second pole of the year at Dover Downs in qualifying for the MBNA Busch Grand National 200. He later qualified fourth for Sunday’s MBNA 400.